Jai's PRO PLUS Sliders - Version 7.0 (updated 2018-07-11)
INTRODUCING PRO PLUS
These sliders are designed for "intermediate" players. Those who find "Pro" on "Full Sim" a little too easy. But "All Star" way too difficult.
At this point, feel free to skip ahead to the slider values. But in the following text, we'll discuss the finer points of why these sliders are necessary.
I'd consider myself a "Pro" level player. But it got to a point where "Pro" was a little too easy. So I tried All-Star, and ended up completely overwhelmed by the opposition AI:
- Perfect passes, like they have eyes behind their heads.
- Dizzying speeds, whether they're setting up offense or attacking you as defenders.
My initial reaction was to "tune" the "All-Star" mode to correct this overwhelming feel to the game. But this became a complex & problematic endeavor. It could only work if we introduced "ice tilt"...in the human player's favor (not a good thing). We want things to be fair & mostly even between the human & AI.
Hence, working within the "Pro" universe...and spicing things up. So I took some of the principles that worked in my "All Star" experiments, and applied them to "Pro". What we end up with is "PRO PLUS".
UNDERSTANDING PRO PLUS
"PRO PLUS" is about more than just increasing the difficulty of "Pro" mode.
We also have various slider modifications that help us produce "realistic" hockey. We achieve this as much as EA's programming, my slider experiments, and sheer luck allow. We have tweaks affecting everything from speed to checking. Nothing is overlooked.
One thing I am also proud of is that this slider set is "bug free". I began here as a user of the various popular "loose puck" type slider sets. I would always experience bugs in those sets (like players losing puck control at the most ridiculous moments). This pushed me to experiment on my own, and discover the conditions that cause such bugs. The result is a "bug free" PRO PLUS. Obviously, we'll run into problems when EA releases updates that tweak & redefine various sliders. But until then, you will have a bug-free gaming experience. I exclusively use this slider set myself, so I'll usually notice problems earlier - or the same time - as you!
If you do come across a problem, please consider these factors first:
- "PRO PLUS", like all slider sets, tends to get invalidated when EA releases game & tuner updates. Always be sure to check the "PRO PLUS" release date at the top of this topic, and compare it to EA's update thread here: https://forums.ea.com/en/nhl/discussion/146691/
- In my experiments, I've found that teams with strong goaltenders & defenders tend to win more. So if you ever feel you aren't "losing enough", then be sure to include the overall ratings of your goalie & defenders in your report.
- The slider notes contain detailed explanations about all "PRO PLUS" slider modifications. It also explains relationships between various sliders. Most importantly, it contains RECOMMENDATIONS so you can modify everything from the speed to difficulty, to suit your needs.
APPLYING PRO PLUS
Applying "PRO PLUS" is much easier now!
- Apply the defaults for "Full Sim" to your game. This gives us the base.
- The second column of the table contains all the values that make up "PRO PLUS". But the majority of these values are "Full Sim" defaults. So let's narrow it down, so we only have to make a few key modifications to our "Full Sim" base.
- Review the "PRO PLUS" tables for sliders that contain notes. These will be located in the third column. Any slider that contains a note...is a slider that must be modified!
- Enter the value from the second column into your slider options. With these modifications to "Full Sim"...you end up with "PRO PLUS"!